Tsarina Esra
Brouwerij De Molen

3.73/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Brewed in 2016. Pour jet black with a mocha head. Nose is roasted malts. Fruit and roast dominate the flavor profile with a hint of anise and cocoa. Tobacco. A bit of oxidation. Drink by 2041! Overall quite smooth and leathery.

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4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I realize I gave this 4.25 across the board. Very consist in every regard. Billed as an Imperial Porter. On draft in Amsterdam. Black chocolate pervades this beer. The nose has an amazing creamy dark chocolate character - is even possible? The nutty/roasty malts are a great bitter counterpoint to the full maltiness. Excellent beer.

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4.09/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottled in 2017 - the 10.1% ABV, 383 EBC, 93 EBU version of this beer (white / black label).

A: Dark dark beer. Thin head.

S: Wow. Sweet, prune, berries w/ a hint of leather/earthy/alcohol.

T: First impression - much more bitterness and nibs than expected from the nose. On subsequent sips, more caramel, smokiness, chocolate, prune, and chocolate come through. While there are subtle prune and fruit/cherry flavours, nowhere near as much as I'd expect off the nose. The finish is of sweetness and alcohol with a bit of dryness that encourages the next sip. A more complex beer than I expected with a touch more bitterness and alcohol than I would have though.

F: Very smooth with light carbonation.

O: A tasty beer no doubt and certainly a good representation of a Belgian-influenced Imperial Porter.

I'd love to age a bottle for 10+ years to see what happens. If a bit from of the fruitiness from the nose came through in the taste this would be an epic brew.

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4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From the 11.2 oz bottle in a snifter. This decent baltic pours a rich
deep and dark brownish black with cola highlights and a decent
head of off white foam that settles to a big bubbled ring and very thin
foam layer with subtle lacing. Nose of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits,
toffee, and sweet brown sugars. Flavors subtly exceed the nose with
dried cherries that mingle with chocolate malts and a touch of coffee
amongst hints of coffee and brown sugars. Decent mouth feel;
medium full body, smooth, rich, nice roasted elements that lend
to the low carbonation, and a rich moderately sweet and
lightly dry finish.

Overall, I have never had a bad brew form this brewery, and this
one impresses all the same.

Nice

Cheers

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3.54/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Echarle Huevos. Pours a black colour, medium head with long retention, compact lacing. Aroma of dried fruits, chocolate, vanilla, liquor. Full body, creamy dense texture, good carbonation. Sweet finish. Taste is similar to the aroma. Alcohol is not much noticeable. Good.

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4.11/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 2015 bottle with unknown storage history (but "fresh" into the Seattle market) into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin khaki head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted and biscuit malt, cocoa, mild fresh and dried plums, a hint of vanilla. Flavor is dark, lightly toasted and dry biscuit malt, light fresh and dried plum, hints of dates and cocoa; flavor thins out a little into the finish with light oxidation notes. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess and good mouth feel and carbonation. Flavor profile is classic Baltic porter, with a little old ale maltiness along with darker stout malt and the pleasant dark stone fruit that makes this style so interesting. Hits all the notes I hope for in a Baltic porter, but perhaps a little subdued. Some flavors seem a little tired and there are distinct light oxidation, so I'm glad I didn't have this which much more age on it. It held up to aging well, particularly because this has been warehoused under unknown conditions rather than cellared. I'm less and less happy with Shelton Bros. Offerings in the Northwest and I'm increasingly thinking we often get warehouse bloat rather than fresh imported offerings. Why wasn't this distributed in 2015? I like some age on big porters and stouts, but think the proper storage conditions are important. This is a nice Baltic porter and I hope someday I can try a fresh one for comparison.

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4.19/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Nice dark brown colour, with a medium head that quickly disappears.
Caramel and coffee smell.
The taste is mainly sweet, with coffee and roasted barley, caramel, dried plums and woody notes at the end. Dry aftertaste.
A good imperial porter, with 10.1% alcohol (at least the 2017 version). Funny expiration date: 2042! :)

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3.92/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottled 4/25/14; drank 5/22/18 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance.

A violent pour yielded almost no tan lace; almost no lace.

Fresh earth, dark chocolate, leather & mild dark cherry notes in the nose.

Flat, medium thick mouthfeel.

Fresh earth, barnyard & leather flavors up front; dark chocolate notes on the finish. No booze heat.

A bit raw for me; almost a manure note in there! However, it ain't boring.

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4.37/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

So much chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Finishes with tobacco, leather and a hint of liquorice. Silky smooth mouthfeel with minimal carbonation. Complexity builds as it warms

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4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter, the appearance was a thick black color with no head nor lacing. The aroma starts off with thick sweet milk and dark chocolate, full and sweet with a nice deep roasty robust coffee bean rolling on into the blend. The flavor takes all of those previously mentioned aromas and adds some black licorice. Semi-sticky sort of sweet and roasty aftertaste with a sly sticky finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a really nice smooth roasty to sweet feel rolling over my tongue. Roasty harshness seems to hit nicely. Overall, really nice Imperial porter that I would have again.

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4.48/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

2014 bottle.

This pours a very dark black, with a fleeting head of just a few bubbles, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like chocolate chip cookie dough, powdery cocoa powder, raisins, dates, and some vanilla.

There's a lot going on here- it tastes like it has adjuncts in it, but there isn't. I get some creamy vanilla, dark and chocolatey fudge cake, dates, prunes, and raisins. There's a bit of molasses, too. There's not a ton of carbonation after 3 years or so in the bottle, but it doesn't affect this too much.

This is light bodied, but silky and still a bit rich, with a very low level of carbonation.

This is a fantastic beer, and one of the best I've had yet from De Molen.

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4.16/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

330ml bottle poured into a snifter.

Deep opaque brown as a showcase, the pour yields very thin tan foam on the surface that is considered as almost no real head, lots of sticky frothy patch and spot clinging on the glass-side as well as lots of sediment.

Very rich creamy and milky chocolate in a nose together with cocoa powder, fudge, some coffee, licorice, dark fruit, dark bread, roasted, and some smoke. Chocolate here is intense and so enticing.

The taste is deep and rich of roasted malt together with big sugary/chocolaty/molasses sweetness but not that cloying with also a touch of rich chocolate flavor. Suggestions of cocoa powder, coffee, licorice, smoke, as well as dark fruit too in the middle of the way while creamy and dark bready touch draw in providing smoothness through the taste buds.

The body is full but not that much sticky with rather low to moderate carbonation but it is crisp and lively enough to carry well its taste and body under the smooth palate sensation and dry finish. Another solid offering from De Molen, this Imperial Porter is heavily roasted and rich in chocolate.

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4.71/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Nose: dates, dark fruit, warm spice, smoke, syrup.

Look: 2014 bottle. dark crimson brown. still.

Taste: black liquorice, leather, figs, cigar, heavy, creamy, chewy, chocolate, oak, whiskey.

HUGE flavours.

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4.17/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass at Bottoms Up, Jingan in Shanghai China.

A: Almost pure black with a slight cola red at the edges. Almost no head at all aside from a slight fizz at the top.

S: Sweetness, plum, chocolate of course. Faint traces of alcohol.

T: Slight note of roasted coffee, toffee, milk chocolate, brandy, Kahlua

F: Viscous and thick, sticky in the throat and back of mouth

Overall: A bit much. Really good for a bit then overpowering. Tastes good but the thickness gets to you. Good for a try.

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3.61/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Dark bean brown with no head

Aromas of smoked and slightly rotting meat. Some cocoa malts. Fig. Alcohol prunes. Hints of oxidation.

Metallic bite followed by prunes and jerky, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, roast malt, fig. Sticky sweetness throughout.

Feel is surprisingly light for an Imper. Porter, but the stickiness sort of makes up for it. Roasty finish.

Overall reminds me a lot of anchor Porter. A bit stronger though. Worth the $8? Probably not. That's part of my rating here.

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4.24/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Incredibly deep, dark, complex and robust, no one does roast more than De Molen. Their chocolate porter of the baltic style takes a pedal off of the burnt side but is no less robust or powerful for it. Its cocoa focus is front and center throughout.

Tsarina Esra's ominously dark tar appearance swirls with syrupy legging and capped with a tarnish espresso froth. Rife and dense with the pungent earthiness of true cocoa powder, a coffee-like, fudgy, woodsy and winey fragrance emerges. Burnt sugars galore as the maltiness is remiss of burnt cream and molasses.

With a cocoa-rich fudginess at its core, the porter brings out a heavily toasted, walnut, coffee and chicory-like earthiness as the carbonized sugars begin to lift. Hints of dark fruit and spice follow the roasted cocoa nibs with nuances of red grape, aniseed, blackcurrant, peppercorn, plum skin and robust bordeaux wine. Its woodsy bitterness is easily dismissed for chicory, smoky chocolate or toasted astringency instead of hops, but an herbal cedar note proves otherwise.

Full bodied and mouth-coating with its low-lying carbonation and its lasting sweetness, but the beer's verbose alcohols and powdery tannins aid in dryness while a peppery, woodsy bite continues strong. A long linger of raw cocoa powder and smoldering ember is long and robust even in after-palate in a simmering afterglow of warmth.

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4.27/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 2 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

From Zombier. In Teku glass. Watching Los Soprano 4x09. Deliciously sweet. Very low on carbonation, providing it a light and very drinkable feel that is very dangerous for such a ABV

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4.46/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Dark chocolate, roasted malts, ripe plums, figs, and some kahlua-like artificial coffee notes tickle the nose. More cacao nibs and some mild yeast-derived esters also join the fray with the passage of time. I might be hallucinating but I think I smell a bit of pumpkin-like spice toward the back as well? Or maybe that's just what I'm craving right now.

Milk chocolate, kahlua, apple brandy, black cherry, and roasted malts is as far as I'm willing to try in describing the gist of the flavors on the tongue. Some toasted nutty flavors and cacao nibs ornate the back end of the flavor department, accompanied by some figs and dark plums. Some booze burn is apparent after a few sips, but that's expected from a... holy fuck. 11% ABV.

Slick and oily. Medium-bodied with minimal carbonation. Definitely a sipper given its high ABV and complexity, but all the elements involved go hand-in-hand without any clashing of flavors whatsoever. A wonderful showcase of de Molen's masterful usage of malt and yeast. I'm curious how this would taste with more age on it.

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4.45/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L: Jet black color, no head whatsoever, no visible carbonation.

S: Sweet coffee, roasted malt.

T: Amazing sweet coffee flavors, slightly malty aftertaste.

F: Very drinkable for the high ABV, yet full bodied.

O: One of the best imperial porters I have ever tried. Superb!

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4.35/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into pint from tap.
L: Black without foam head.
S: Berries, plums.
T: CBlck currant, plums.Sweets.
F: Tight body and medium carbonation.
O: Recommended!

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4.82/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Enjoy within 25 years! Dated 5/19/15. Consumed 6/28/16. Mostly black, aggressive pour creates barely a wisp of lacing or head. Kind of a subdued aroma of dark fruit, coffee, and chocolate. Tastes of dark cherries, bitter coffee, and some cocoa. Medium to mostly full feel with the alcohol pretty well hidden. Very complex and balanced; I couldn't stop sipping. Overall, a fantastic imperial porter that will captivate you. Enjoy!

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4.32/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours deep inky black with red eclipse into a tulip. The yellow-fawn head is 1cm at most, falling back to surface froth instantly; this beer is lively, you can see carbonation in the liquid.

The aroma and flavour entwine rather beautifully and artfully; dark chocolate, expresso liqueur, baked cherries & plums, some spiced aniseed, a little gooseberry, and red apple brandy with a toasty lingering bitterness. It's very autumn in its flavour profile, and very balanced.

Mouthfeel is excellent, medium bodied, minimal carbonation, smooth like silk, and warming. The booze is very well hidden, especially for a porter which doesn't go overboard with taste.

This is an excellent porter; complex, balanced, smooth, rich and light all at the same time. Not once can I identify an area which puts me off or I think diminishes the beer; this is incredibly well brewed.

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4.1/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap. Pours opaque, dark brown in color, with 1/4 inch head. Taste is dark chocolate, sweet chocolate, light coconut, coffee, and dark fruit. Light bodied for style. Complex sipper that was a real treat to have.

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4.03/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Black pour with tan head; cap dissipated quickly to a ring which maintained throughout; spotty lace; good clarity. Roasted malt, chocolate and black licorice nose; dry straw as liquid continues to open up. Flavors of chocolate, roast malt with a semi sweet licorice middle; dry cocoa powder finish with just a touch of alcohol. Medium, dry mouthfeel; light plus carbonation. Semi sweet linger with a little alcohol woven in the Lite roasted bitter malt.

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4.25/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Dark brown, close to black, with a very tall, tan-coloured and fine-grained head that gives way rather quickly to a thin, sticky lacing. Smells like dried fruit, sour cherries, blackberries, caramel, roasted malts, some coffee liquor. Tastes like sour cherries, roasted malts, dark chocolate and some coffee, apple brandy. Medium body, soft mouthfeel and a nice, warm and bitter-sweet finish

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